Moses Goes to a Concert

Bibliography

Millman, Isaac. 1998. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374453667

Summary

Moses, a young deaf boy who loves to play his drums, takes a field trip with his classmates and his teacher Mr. Samuels to the young people’s concert. At the concert, the class watches the orchestra play their music. Mr. Samuels gives the students balloons to place on their laps so they can feel the vibration. Moses and his classmates get to meet the percussionist who is also deaf. She tells them how she became deaf after being sick when she was a little girl. She also tells the class that she worked hard at becoming a percussionist, and then invites the students to play the instruments. When Moses goes home that evening, he tells his parents about his field trip and that one day he would be a percussionist too.

Critical Analysis

Isaac Millman has created a wonderful story of a deaf boy’s first experience at a concert. Moses was not able to hear the music, but he was able to feel the vibrations. At home, Moses plays his own drum. Once he got to the concert, he was quite surprised to see that the percussionist was deaf too. After the concert, Mr. Samuel introduces the class to Ms Elwyn. When the students learned that she became deaf after an illness, they asked her what she did. Ms. Elwyn, the percussionist, tells the students, “I worked hard. My heart was set on becoming a percussionist and I did.” This encourages Moses to believe that he too could be a percussionist one day. The theme of determination will inspire many students to work hard for their dreams.

Many cultural markers were found throughout the story. The author begins the story with an author’s note and a diagram explaining what American Sign Language is and how to read the arrows and symbols displayed in the story. Throughout the book, Millman uses small boxes to show how to sign some of the words. The word is located at the bottom of the box with Moses showing the reader how to sign with his/her hands. Several full-page spreads of the percussionist and Moses signing are used to emphasis important parts of the story. The first is when Ms. Elwyn says, “I worked hard. My heart was set on becoming a percussionist and I did.” The other full page spread is at the end of the story when Moses tells his parents that he wants to be a percussionist. “When you set your mind to it, you can become anything you want when you grow up…A doctor, artist, teacher, lawyer, farmer, electrician, or actor. I want to become a percussionist.” The final page displays the alphabet with hand signs for each of the letters.

From the story, the reader is able to gather that people who are deaf can feel vibrations through their feet and hands. Balloons are also used on the lap to feel the music. Another important part of the story is when Ms. Elwyn tells the class that she became deaf after she was very sick as a child. This detail tells the reader that not all deaf people are born that way.

Millman’s full page illustrations are bright and colorful. The boxes used throughout the story emphasizing important phrases give the reader an opportunity to try making a few signs. Moses is a young little boy with glasses and a red baseball cap, and his classmates are from various cultures. All of the students are portrayed accurately.

Readers of all ages will enjoy reading this story, learn a few signs, and be inspired to set their minds to accomplish their goals.

Reviews

Booklist starred review: “Moses is deaf. When he plays on his drum, he can't hear the sounds, but he can feel the vibrations through his hands and through his bare feet. When he goes with his deaf classmates to a concert, they hold balloons in their laps to feel the vibrations. The percussionist in the orchestra is also deaf (she wears no shoes so that she can feel the vibrations through her stockinged feet), and after her wild, wonderful performance, she meets the deaf children, tells them her story (in ASL), and then allows them to try out all her instruments. With clear line-and-watercolor pictures, the precise hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions of ASL are a natural part of the story. Pictures at the bottom of the page show Moses signing the words, but when the percussionist tells her story, and when Moses tells his parents about his great time at the concert, the sign language is the action, and the written words are the captions. Deaf children will welcome this joyful story that talks, without condescension, about the fun they have.”

School Library Journal review: A group of deaf children is taken to a concert where the youngsters meet the percussionist, a friend of their teacher, and learn to their surprise that she is also deaf. She explains to Moses and his class how she became a percussionist even though she had lost her hearing and helps them understand that anything is possible with hard work and determination. She lets the children play on her instruments and feel the vibrations on balloons that their teacher has given them. Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.

Connections

Other titles by this author include:

Millman, Isaac. 2000. MOSES GOES TO SCHOOL. ISBN 0374350698

Millman, Isaac. 2003. MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS. ISBN 0374350647

Millman, Isaac. 2004. MOSES SEES A PLAY. ISBN 0374350663